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N. 0. PRANZEN. STEERING INDICATOR.

No. 65740. Patented June 11, 1867.

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Nicobar, o. FRANZEN, or HAMBURG, GERMANY.

Letters Patent No. 65,740, dated June 11, 1 867.

IMPROVED STEERING INDICATOR.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known, that I, NICOLAI CHRISTIAN FRANZEN, of the city of Hamburg,Germany, have invented a new and useful machine for indicating to theeye by day and at night :the position and changes in position of'shipsrudders, called a Day and Night Steering Indicator;' and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, and of its mode or manner of operation, reference being bad tothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference markedthereon, and making a part of his specification.

On shipboard it is desirable at all times, and particularly in times.of'danger, and in other emergencies, and when steamers are approachingeach other, that the oflicer in command, whenever he may happen to be onhis vessels deck, should have the means of knowing the exact position ofthe ships rudder, and should know how fully or how imperfectly the manat the helm may have obeyed and carried out any order that may have beengiven him. Heretofore it has been practically impossible for suchoflicer to have such knowledge, as he is generally'at some distance fromthe steering gear, and cannot therefore have personal knowledge of theposition and movements of the rudder, and how far his orders in respectthereto may have been obeyed; and heis therefore compelied to trust toand rely upon the faithfulness of the man at the helm, and his abilityto fully carry out andpert'ormthe orders given him My invention has forits objectto t'nrnish a sure and reliable means of imparting suchknowledge or information to the officer ir command, and to others, andconsists in the application and arrangement upon a vessels deck, and soplaced and located as to: be easily and plainly observed from thedifl'erent parts of the deck, of a steering indicator, or a mechanismshowing a dial-plate and an index or colored lights traversing over it,and so ,"connected with the rudder or steering gear that as the rudderis moved the index will change position, a difi'erently colored light beshown, and thereby indicate to the eye, and as well at night as by day,the exact position and change of movement of the rudder. The oilicer incommand is thus able at a glance, andat all times, and ;f rom any partof the deck, and from the rigging, to learn the exact position of therudder, and how far the in'an at'the helm may have, or may have beenable to carry out the orders given him, and can govern himself andmanage his craft accordingly.

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of the indicator as it appears byday, the index being shown in diiferent positions.

Figure 2 is a like View, of the indicator as it appears at night, thecolored lights being shown in diflerent positions.

Figure 3 is a front view with the dial-plate removed and sliowingtheplate behind.-

Figure 4 is a vertical section from front to rear through the centre ofthe indicator.

The indicator is generally placed over the steering gear, and highenough to be easily and plainly visible from different parts of thevessel.

The dial-plate A is usually circular in shape, andis of thick whiteglass strongly set andseeured in suitable framing, which is largeenough. behind such plate to contain all the mechanism required. Infront ofsuch dialplate is an index, B, dark in color or contrastingprominently with the dial-plate, such index being fixed to one end of ahorizontal stem or axle, a, which connects by bevelled gearing b to avertical spindle, G, fig. 3, behind the dial-plate, and such spindlebeing so connected with the steering gear that as the rudder is turnedthe spindle will'be rotated and cause the index B to move over thedial-plate. Such index is thus made to exactly indicate to the eye. andso as to be visible from difi'erent parts of the vessel, the exactposition of the rudder.

and the extent of its movement. Such index is so arranged with respectto the rudder and the dial-plate that when the rudder i steady the indexwill stand pointing vertically upwards. When the order is jport, and therudder is turned. accordingly, the index moves towards the left on thedial, about forty-five degrees, to the position indicated by the dottedred lines; and if the order is hard-a-port, the index takes the positionshown the index moves on the dial toward the right to the positionindicated by the dotted blue lines; and if the order isharda-starboard," and the rudder is turned accordingly, the index takesthe position indicated by the heavy blue lines at B" Inwhichevendirection and to whatever extent the-rudder is turned, theindex B tells unerringly of such movement, and the oflicer in command isthereby enabled, from any part of the vessel where he may he called,understandingly and intelligently to give such ordersas to the vesselscourse as may he demanded. The index B traversing on theouts'ide oft'hedial-plate, as above described, actsas a day indicator, the contrastbetween the index and the dial-plate quickly and easily catching theeye. It will also be noticed that such index moves onlyover the upperhalf ofthedial A. To convert the mechanism into a night indicator, whenthe index B cannot beseen colored lights are shown on the lower half ofthe dial-plate A. The construction and arrangement of theparts forproducing such colored lights are as follows Upon the same stem or axlea that carries'fthe in dexB, but behind the transparent dial-plate A, isfixed an opaque disk or plate, D, fig. 3, which revolves with the steina In one siide'of such opaque disk,

' and extending from the centre to or towards the periphery, is cut anopening, E, through which light produced from a lamp placed behindsuchplate D passes and shows through the dial-plate AL The form of theopening E may be such as may be desired, but I prefer to give it thesame outline with the day index B, so as to avoid confusion from avariety of forms. Such opening E and the index B radiate in oppositedirections from the centre or stem, as shown in fig. 3, so that thecolored lights will show on theilower half of the dial-plate, as theindex does upon the upper half. Between the transparent dial-plate A andthe opaque disk D are interposed pieces or segments of dilferentlycolored glass I, so that differently colored lights will be shown as theopening E in the opaque disk takes different positions. When thehelm issteady a yellow light is shown standing vertically downwards from thecentre of the dial, in the position indicated at fig- 2. When the helmis turned port" or hard-a-port the plate I) with its opening movesupward toward the right, showing a red light, in the positions shown bythe dotted lines and at F. If the helm is turned starboard orhard-a-starboard" theopenlng E is carried in the opposite directionupward toward the left, showing a green light, as indicated I by thedotted lines and at F. .In practical use on shipboard, the lights shownwill generally be white, red, and

green, corresponding in color with the lights required by law to beshown on steamers. To cause the colored lights to be strong anddistinet,'the lamp placed within the indicator and behind the opaquedisk should have a reflector, H, constructed to reflect all the raysthrough the openings E and dpon the colored glass. -A chimney, G, allowsthe smoke from the lamp to pass off.

By the use of an indicator constructed substantially as described, theoflicer in command of any vessel on which this invention may be usedwill be able both by day and at night, and from any part of the deck orabove it, to perceive at a glance of the eye the exact position andmovement of the rudder, and the record of such movements is whollybeyond thecontrol or interference of the man at the helm. The greatconvenience and value'of such an instrument will be at once recognizedand appreciated by all familiar with ships, and of the emergenciesarising thereon, and of the'necessity for prompt and well-informedaction onthe part of the. ofiicers, and complete execution of orders onthepa'rt of those under them.

What I claim as my invention, and desire" to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination with the rudder or steering gear of vessels of adial-plate and index or their equivalents,

different parts of the vessel, for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination and arrangement, in such an indicator when solocated, with the steering gear of-a' vessel, of an index moving over adial, such index and dial being of strong contrasting colors, toindicatefby day the position and movement of the rudder, substantiallyas and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination and arrangement, in such an indicator so locatedandgconnected with the steering gear, of plates of differently coloredglass or other transparent material with a movable opaque plate orsurface. having a suitable aperture cut therein, and with a light orlamp arrangedand combined substantially 415;: described, to indicate atnight by differently colored lights the position and movements of theruuderl for the purposes set forth. I

4. The combination in one and the same indicator of an index. movingover a difl'erently colored surface oi their equivalents, and of coloredtransparent plates in connection with a movable opaque perforated plate,and with any light, the several parts arranged and operating severallyand in combination substantially as described, thereby rendering thesame instrument either a day or night indicator of the movements of therudder, for thepurposes set forth.

February 9, 1867.

Witnesses:

L. D. LAW, W. R. RONALDS.

N. G. FRANZEN.

